Street-network Sprawl in El Oued, Algeria

What is Street-network sprawl?

Street-network Sprawl is a way to measure urban sprawl, worldwide, through the connectedness of the streets. Less sprawl means more connected, more walkable streets. Well-connected streets – like New York City’s grid – are more walkable and can be served by public transit.

The street network is permanent, and its connectivity affects the livability and environmental footprint of cities for decades and centuries to come. In places with more connected streets, residents drive less and walk more. A well-connected street network is associated with better outcomes for health, the environment, sustainable consumption, social integration, and equity.

We can quantify how connected street networks are with the Street Network Disconnectedness Index (SNDi).

SNDi -- our measure of street-network sprawl (disconnectedness)

The SNDi is a comprehensive measurement of “sprawl”. It captures:

A higher SNDi means less-connected streets – i.e., more sprawl. For the 10137 cities in our dataset, the average SNDi is 2.25, with half of the cities' SNDis falling between 1.08 and 3.25.

More information on the sprawl index can be found in these research papers:

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

El Oued: city in Algeria

What exactly constitutes the spatial extent of the city? For these aggregations, we used the Global Human Settlement Layer Urban Center Database (GHS-UCDB) to define the boundaries of the city. These cities -- or urban centers -- cover areas that are densely populated and built-up, and so may extend beyond the spatial borders of these cities that we may be familiar with. The GHS area is shaded in blue.

View El Oued, Algeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in El Oued as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.14, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.2, -0.29, -0.09 and 0.47. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in El Oued fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in El Oued spans a total of 715 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.29, which is very well-connected.

Effect on the aggregate network: New construction in each period adds to the total stock of streets, but does not change streets that have already been built. Therefore, it has a limited effect on the street network as a whole. The SNDis of the aggregate street network in the respective time periods are -0.2, -0.26, -0.22 and -0.14. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but El Oued has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

El Oued and El Oued follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in El Oued fare in comparison to others in El Oued? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in El Oued was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in El Oued. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. El Oued ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

El Oued and Algeria follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in El Oued fare in comparison to others in Algeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in El Oued was the 87th-most disconnected out of the 95 cities in Algeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Algeria, street construction in El Oued has become more connected. El Oued ranked 60th in 1975, 91st in 1976-1990, 87th in 1991-2000 and 87th in 2001-2014.

El Oued and El Oued follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, El Oued is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in El Oued. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. El Oued ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

El Oued and Algeria follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, El Oued is the 92nd-most disconnected out of the 95 cities in Algeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Algeria, the street network in El Oued has become more connected. El Oued ranked 60th in 1975, 91st in 1976-1990, 91st in 1991-2000 and 92nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, El Oued had a built-up area of 17.33 square kilometers, and a population of 205309 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: